[Flump]

Hi,
 I am confused again!my potatoes are starting to come through.If you earth them up to protect from frost,but they need the leaves to grow properly isn't it bad to cover the leaves?
    also my lates are coming up before my earlies...that's not good is it?

[mumofstig]

Just cover them up...........it's been done for years and years and they manage

As for lates before earlies, mine have done the same but it doesn't matter at all.
Just that the growth from some seed is stronger than others...but they all get there

[Flump]

ok,thanks for that,stop panicking now hehe!

[Salmo]

Or else you muddled the earlies and lates before you planted them?

[Flump]

Or else you muddled the earlies and lates before you planted them?

yes, that did cross my mind!

[goodegg]

my earlies are just up with the lates not far behind but my second earlies are not up yet so dont worry the lates need a lot longer to get a good crop all is well it when none of them come up its time to worry. have a good crop.

[Kristen]

I don't earth mine up until a frost is forecast; I work on the basis that once they can see daylight they will stop pushing up so fast, so that gives me several chances to earth them up when frost is forecast. But even so my very early spuds, planted as late as I reasonably can, are normally a nightmare to try to keep the last few frosts off as they will have got very big by then ... the Mains are less of a problem in that regard.

[azubah]

Hi,
 I am confused again!my potatoes are starting to come through.If you earth them up to protect from frost,but they need the leaves to grow properly isn't it bad to cover the leaves?
    also my lates are coming up before my earlies...that's not good is it?

The late spuds need a lot longer time growing in the ground so it is fine for them to come up first, as long as the frost does not get them too badly.

[sclarke624]

I planted, in pots,  some first earlies around March 17th, the past 5days I am having to earth up every day they are growing so fast.  Last years weren't as vigorous at all.

Flump:
My lates did the same last year.  Haven't got any lates this year.  I have always just covered right over the green leaves, every time I see them.  Easy for me as they are in the garden in pots.

[Flump]

I planted, in pots,  some first earlies around March 17th, the past 5days I am having to earth up every day they are growing so fast.  Last years weren't as vigorous at all.

Flump:
My lates did the same last year.  Haven't got any lates this year.  I have always just covered right over the green leaves, every time I see them.  Easy for me as they are in the garden in pots.

That's when I planted my earlie's,will be busy earthing up I think!but mine aren't vigorous like yours,just a few shoots so far.

[blackbob]

ok,thanks for that,stop panicking now hehe!

nowt to worry about, keep earthing up and you'll be fine.

[rikknikk]

sorry new to this - what does earthing up mean?!

[Yorkie]

It means heaping up the earth around the growing stems, so your spuds end up growing out of a ridge.

[sclarke624]

That's when I planted my earlie's,will be busy earthing up I think!but mine aren't vigorous like yours,just a few shoots so far.

I'm on the South coast though Flump, so don't worry about yours being a bit slower.

[blackbob]

sorry new to this - what does earthing up mean?!

this * a bit nuts,and it's not how i would do it.but it will give ya the jist of earthing up and why it's needed.

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